A mod for Doom II: Hell on Earth
A megawad for Doom 2, released in 2003 by Erik Alm and Kim "Torn" Bach, known for its short and sweet levels
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Reviews
A Legendary DOOM II WAD which I played through many times over the years. The Maps are each very short and that´s what I like in my DOOM WADs. Gameplay is great with a good difficulty curve
A classic Doom map pack, roughly 10 years removed from the release of the original Doom. This one uses mostly stock Doom 2 resources to good effect. Difficulty balancing is a bit wacky, with most of the maps being on the easier side but with a couple of heavy hitters thrown in seemingly at random. Map30 is far and away the most difficult map with over 700 enemies to contend with. Still overall a fun one to go back to all these years later.
Beat em all, but map 30 is way too hard for me on UV
ten levels straight of john romero design (derogatory)
many flashes of genius, including map28. map30 is way too much for what the rest of the wad is though, for sure, but you can do just the yellow key like i did! i'm way too tired to keep trying it normally today and i wanted to beat it so there you go. it's still legit, no glitches used or anything!
This one's hard for me to rate. The way scythe is structured is weird, as the difficulty curve is incredibly jumpy. The first 10 or so maps are piss easy, middle 10 are fairly difficult, and the last 10 turn up the heat. So many maps feel like filler, and there are only a few memorable levels.
Map28 is absolutely abysmal, one of the worst doom levels i've ever played, if not the worst. The 30 second time limit is way too strict, and the cheap gotcha moments like the floor collapsing piss me off to no end. The margin for error is so strict that if you make a single mistake at any point, no matter how minor, you have to restart.
On the other hand, map26 is brilliant, a single condensed slaughter fight. Feels like if go 2 it had less downtime, constant cell pickups and plenty of megaspheres, hordes of revenants and barons chasing you down, all the while cyberdemons snipe you. One of my favorite maps I've played from any wad.
Map30 is diabolical, one of the most soul crushing maps ever made. The midi, the crampage, the visuals. It's the true final test of your resolve. It's not the type of map I enjoy but I have to admit it's well designed.
This wad probably would have done better if there were less maps that had more time put into them.
Map28 is absolutely abysmal, one of the worst doom levels i've ever played, if not the worst. The 30 second time limit is way too strict, and the cheap gotcha moments like the floor collapsing piss me off to no end. The margin for error is so strict that if you make a single mistake at any point, no matter how minor, you have to restart.
On the other hand, map26 is brilliant, a single condensed slaughter fight. Feels like if go 2 it had less downtime, constant cell pickups and plenty of megaspheres, hordes of revenants and barons chasing you down, all the while cyberdemons snipe you. One of my favorite maps I've played from any wad.
Map30 is diabolical, one of the most soul crushing maps ever made. The midi, the crampage, the visuals. It's the true final test of your resolve. It's not the type of map I enjoy but I have to admit it's well designed.
This wad probably would have done better if there were less maps that had more time put into them.
(Map 29 on HNTR, all other maps on HMP)
Scythe is, in my opinion, a WAD that every Doom player should try at least once. Its tight and compact maps, paired with one of the most enigmatic difficulty curves I've seen, make it an experience well suited for putting your skills to the test.
The maps start off easy, lulling you into a false sense of security. With each new episode, Scythe turns up the heat, until you're practically boiling by the last few maps. That's without a doubt its standout trait, and one that sets itself apart from WADs with a more consistent difficulty level. What this means is that there are maps suited to people of all experience and skill levels, without the WAD being characterised by either extreme easiness or unforgiving brutality.
The level design is mostly good. Even the maps I didn't like, such as Map 28, were unique in their design and progression. There's a good blend of concise maps, slaughter maps, and everything in between. My biggest complaint on this front is that the WAD takes ages to give you an SSG, but once it does, things really start to pick up. The combat encounters become a lot more engaging during the second half, and the levels stop feeling like mindless romps.
The presentation leaves a bit to be desired, however. I understand that this WAD is 21 years old, but I think they could've tried a bit harder to make the levels pop out a bit more and feel more memorable. The use of D1, D2 and TNT songs for most of the maps doesn't really help either. Something like more unique texturing, or a greater emphasis on secrets, could have gone a long way.
Despite its shortcomings, I think Scythe is an enjoyable experience for the most part, and definitely deserves its status as a rite of passing.
Scythe is, in my opinion, a WAD that every Doom player should try at least once. Its tight and compact maps, paired with one of the most enigmatic difficulty curves I've seen, make it an experience well suited for putting your skills to the test.
The maps start off easy, lulling you into a false sense of security. With each new episode, Scythe turns up the heat, until you're practically boiling by the last few maps. That's without a doubt its standout trait, and one that sets itself apart from WADs with a more consistent difficulty level. What this means is that there are maps suited to people of all experience and skill levels, without the WAD being characterised by either extreme easiness or unforgiving brutality.
The level design is mostly good. Even the maps I didn't like, such as Map 28, were unique in their design and progression. There's a good blend of concise maps, slaughter maps, and everything in between. My biggest complaint on this front is that the WAD takes ages to give you an SSG, but once it does, things really start to pick up. The combat encounters become a lot more engaging during the second half, and the levels stop feeling like mindless romps.
The presentation leaves a bit to be desired, however. I understand that this WAD is 21 years old, but I think they could've tried a bit harder to make the levels pop out a bit more and feel more memorable. The use of D1, D2 and TNT songs for most of the maps doesn't really help either. Something like more unique texturing, or a greater emphasis on secrets, could have gone a long way.
Despite its shortcomings, I think Scythe is an enjoyable experience for the most part, and definitely deserves its status as a rite of passing.
Abandoned at MAP30. I really, really wanted to finish this but MAP30 is just such a shift in tone, gameplay, spirit, and difficulty that I decided for the sake of my sanity to just say goodbye to Scythe forever. I'm proud of myself for beating maps1-29 single segment on HNTR, but MAP30 is where I drew the line.
This won a Cacoward on Doomworld (the main Doom website/has been for its entire timeline) and I can see why, even however many years later. It's fun, punchy action for most of the ordeal with some interesting concept maps, and unlike others I actually enjoy a majority of the Hell maps (maps21-30) and find them fun. If you want slaughter executed well in a wad like Scythe, look at MAP26. Plenty of invulnerabilities, plenty of mega spheres, plenty of BFG ammo, doesn't take that long, bam, there you go, DONE. Some of the maps in here are challenging without even needing that many monsters just because they're well designed for that matter. I just can't see why MAP30 had to be included other than "Oh, it's the final map, might as well go all-out!"
A 4-star mod that gets ruined down to a light 3 by virtue of its final map alone. This is one of the rare instances in which I cannot bring myself to finish a game/mod. It's not even that I hate slaughter, it's the context in which this is inserted into the game with little warning and in such full force that makes it a stinker.
Even all that aside, the good maps suffer from lack of detail (understandable, it's vanilla) and maps1-10 are really boring for the most part. Scythe, I respect the hell out of you but I cannot beat you and I'm sorry that I can't, you just aged rather poorly.
Abandoned on 7/6/23 AT THE VERY END.
ABANDONED
This won a Cacoward on Doomworld (the main Doom website/has been for its entire timeline) and I can see why, even however many years later. It's fun, punchy action for most of the ordeal with some interesting concept maps, and unlike others I actually enjoy a majority of the Hell maps (maps21-30) and find them fun. If you want slaughter executed well in a wad like Scythe, look at MAP26. Plenty of invulnerabilities, plenty of mega spheres, plenty of BFG ammo, doesn't take that long, bam, there you go, DONE. Some of the maps in here are challenging without even needing that many monsters just because they're well designed for that matter. I just can't see why MAP30 had to be included other than "Oh, it's the final map, might as well go all-out!"
A 4-star mod that gets ruined down to a light 3 by virtue of its final map alone. This is one of the rare instances in which I cannot bring myself to finish a game/mod. It's not even that I hate slaughter, it's the context in which this is inserted into the game with little warning and in such full force that makes it a stinker.
Even all that aside, the good maps suffer from lack of detail (understandable, it's vanilla) and maps1-10 are really boring for the most part. Scythe, I respect the hell out of you but I cannot beat you and I'm sorry that I can't, you just aged rather poorly.
Abandoned on 7/6/23 AT THE VERY END.
ABANDONED
Very fun first 20 maps until it goes total sicko mode with the later slaughter maps. Mainly MAP30 which is half of the fucking game.
Welp, I don't think this has aged very well...which is weird, because I remember loving this wad! Back in the day I found the early maps to be short and sweet, while the later, more "slaughter"-y maps to be a bit of a slog but still tolerable. Now I find the early maps to be just kind of dull, and the later slaughter maps absolutely insufferable.
The early maps are small, very small, and can be completed in just a couple of minutes, sometimes under a minute even (not even speed running. Just playing at normal speed). They're....fine. Kinda fun but also kinda uninteresting IMO.
The later maps are a real slog. Just endless spamming the BFG against 10 cyberdemons. Real mind-numbing stuff.
Maybe it's just because there have been so many awesome wads that are far more ambitious since 2003's Scythe. The novelty of it has worn off. Scythe was one of the first user wads I ever played, so maybe that also has something to do it with it... I don't know.
Final thoughts: oof
The early maps are small, very small, and can be completed in just a couple of minutes, sometimes under a minute even (not even speed running. Just playing at normal speed). They're....fine. Kinda fun but also kinda uninteresting IMO.
The later maps are a real slog. Just endless spamming the BFG against 10 cyberdemons. Real mind-numbing stuff.
Maybe it's just because there have been so many awesome wads that are far more ambitious since 2003's Scythe. The novelty of it has worn off. Scythe was one of the first user wads I ever played, so maybe that also has something to do it with it... I don't know.
Final thoughts: oof